EDH Optimizer
Cloud of Darkness
Legendary Creature — Avatar · 2BGG
Color identity: Black · Green · Golgari
Cloud of Darkness is Golgari (black and green): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying
Particle Beam — When Cloud of Darkness enters, target creature an opponent controls gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the number of permanent cards in your graveyard.
Reference price of the card: €0.05
Average lands in decks for Cloud of Darkness: 36
GraveyardReanimatorComboDredgeFlashbackMillSelf-MillTempo
Build your Cloud of Darkness deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Cloud of Darkness 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Cloud of Darkness deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C+ (59/100)
- Consistency71
- Speed55
- Interaction28
- Resilience69
- Closing74
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 5 Swamp, 5 Forest)
Sakura-Tribe Elder · Eternal Witness · Sol Ring · Honest Rutstein · Aftermath Analyst · Conjurer's Closet · Exdeath, Void Warlock // Neo Exdeath, Dimension's End · Timeless Witness · Arcane Signet · Victimize · Wight of the Reliquary · Diamond Weapon · Stitcher's Supplier · Syr Konrad, the Grim · Ahriman · Colossal Grave-Reaver · Meren of Clan Nel Toth · Summon: Titan · Haywire Mite · Reanimate · Rise of the Witch-king · Skull Prophet · Birds of Paradise · Grisly Salvage · Accursed Marauder · Satyr Wayfinder · Sheoldred, Whispering One · Supernatural Stamina · Town Greeter · Vanille, Cheerful l'Cie · Cauldron of Essence · Lord of Extinction · Spore Frog · Fiend Artisan · Nyx Weaver · Assassin's Trophy · Fake Your Own Death · Fang, Fearless l'Cie · Ripples of Undeath · Rise of the Dark Realms · Brawn · Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord · Kaya's Ghostform · Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire · Old Stickfingers · Viscera Seer · Animate Dead · Breach the Multiverse · Guardian Project · Llanowar Elves · Mole Man, Moloid Master · Six · Dread Return · Entomb · Malboro · Reclamation Sage · Icetill Explorer · Culling Ritual · Junji, the Midnight Sky · Lumra, Bellow of the Woods · Rampant Growth · Wood Elves · Balamb T-Rexaur · Command Tower · Woodland Cemetery · Overgrown Tomb · Undergrowth Stadium · Verdant Catacombs · Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth · Evolving Wilds · Underground Mortuary · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Boseiju, Who Endures · Tainted Wood · Deathcap Glade · Fabled Passage · Golgari Rot Farm · Phyrexian Tower · Takenuma, Abandoned Mire · Llanowar Wastes · Terramorphic Expanse · Dakmor Salvage · Wastewood Verge · Bojuka Bog · Exotic Orchard · Myriad Landscape · Temple of Malady · Temple of the False God · Twilight Mire
🃏 Recommended cards for Cloud of Darkness
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Cloud of Darkness, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Conjurer's Closet | 44% | +44% |
| Exdeath, Void Warlock | 44% | +43% |
| Timeless Witness | 44% | +41% |
| Diamond Weapon | 41% | +40% |
| Ahriman | 39% | +38% |
| Honest Rutstein | 46% | +38% |
| Aftermath Analyst | 44% | +37% |
| Eternal Witness | 59% | +37% |
| Summon: Titan | 37% | +35% |
| Colossal Grave-Reaver | 39% | +35% |
| Sakura-Tribe Elder | 63% | +34% |
| Stitcher's Supplier | 40% | +32% |
| Meren of Clan Nel Toth | 37% | +32% |
| Wight of the Reliquary | 43% | +31% |
| Vanille, Cheerful l'Cie | 31% | +30% |
| Town Greeter | 31% | +30% |
| Supernatural Stamina | 31% | +29% |
| Syr Konrad, the Grim | 40% | +28% |
| Skull Prophet | 36% | +28% |
| Lord of Extinction | 30% | +27% |
| Sheoldred, Whispering One | 31% | +27% |
| Satyr Wayfinder | 31% | +26% |
| Fang, Fearless l'Cie | 27% | +25% |
| Fake Your Own Death | 27% | +25% |
💰 The best cards for your Cloud of Darkness deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Timeless Witness
- Diamond Weapon
- Ahriman
- Honest Rutstein
- Aftermath Analyst
- Eternal Witness
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Conjurer's Closet
- Fiend Artisan
- Rise of the Dark Realms
- Breach the Multiverse
- Mole Man, Moloid Master
- Ripples of Undeath
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Colossal Grave-Reaver
- Sheoldred, Whispering One
- Lumra, Bellow of the Woods
- Guardian Project
- Out of the Tombs
- Boseiju, Who Endures
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Cloud of Darkness
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Aetherflux Reservoir + Exquisite Blood → Infinite damage, Infinite lifegain triggers
- The Gitrog Monster + Dakmor Salvage → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite self-discard triggers
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite colored mana, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Cloud of Darkness's color identity?
Cloud of Darkness is Golgari (black and green): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Cloud of Darkness come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Cloud of Darkness deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 5.0 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 92 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 31 % of the time and floods 13 %. Deck health: C+ (59/100).
How many lands should a Cloud of Darkness deck run?
Real Cloud of Darkness decks run 36 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Cloud of Darkness?
The three highest-synergy cards are Conjurer's Closet, Exdeath, Void Warlock, Timeless Witness. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Cloud of Darkness decks.
What combos does Cloud of Darkness have?
Cloud of Darkness has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Cloud of Darkness deck cost?
You can start cheap: Timeless Witness, Diamond Weapon, Ahriman are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.